The South African History Archive (SAHA) is looking for a creative, energetic professional with an understanding of, and commitment to, archival activism to coordinate its Struggles for Justice Programme (SFJP)

Brief history of SAHA

Established in 1988 by anti-apartheid activists, the South African History Archive (SAHA) is an independent human rights archive committed to documenting, supporting, and promoting greater awareness of historical and, since 1994, contemporary struggles for justice and accountability.

SAHA's core two programmes are:

the Struggles for Justice Programme which is responsible for developing and using SAHA's archival collections to advocate for justice and accountability, and to support broader reconciliation efforts in helping South Africans to develop the means to understand and come to terms with the past;

the Freedom of Information Programme which is responsible for testing and extending the boundaries of freedom of information by increasing compliance with, and the use of, PAIA, through practice-based research, advocacy and training.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Ensuring that SAHA's archival collections are managed and made widely accessible, in line with archival standards and SAHA's mandate;
• Initiating and managing the development and management of projects, publications and products aimed at using archive to forward struggles for justice and accountability, and support history and human rights education, in South Africa;
• Supporting the management and strategic development of SFJP and SAHA, including through the identification and fostering of potential funding opportunities, completion of projects and providing other support to the SAHA Director;
• Managing SAHA's reading room and archival reference services, and overseeing the ongoing development and maintenance of archival collections section, and all SFJP-related pages, within the main SAHA website, as well as SAHA's virtual exhibitions;
• Providing expert input into advocacy and capability building efforts in archival activism, including through media, workshops and training, publications, and other advocacy efforts, usually in collaboration with national and international partner organisations;
• Supervising the work of the SFJP archival assistant, all SFJP interns, and any SFJP project contractors, as directed by the SAHA Director;

REQUIRED SKILLS, EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Must be a South African citizen and have a postgraduate degree in Archival / Library / Information Studies, History, Heritage, or another demonstrably relevant field;
• Should have at least 5 years post-qualification experience, with progressive responsibility;
• Must be familiar with the non-government and human rights sectors and able to advocate strategically around the relationship between archives, justice and accountability - a strong commitment to human rights and excellent knowledge of South African history are essential;
• Must have excellent IT and research skills and significant, relevant experience using archives and working with primary sources;
• Must have demonstrable leadership and management experience, including people and financial management, as well as programme and records management;
• Requires excellent written and oral communications skills, with excellent eye for detail, and the ability to engage with a wide range of stakeholders;
• Requires a motivated self-starter with the ability to work independently and as part of a team to achieve timely outcomes, with a strong commitment to high quality client service;
• A valid driver's licence.

PREFERRED SKILLS, EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Experience in working with funders, managing projects, overseeing project budgets and preparing reports would be an asset.
• Experience in teaching or training and educational materials development would be an asset.
• Own transport

The role will be based at the SAHA offices at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg and will report to the SAHA Director. This is a contract post: 1 year fixed period post, starting no later than April 2016, renewable depending on funding and performance. This role will require some travel, and weekend work.

TO APPLY

Submit a CV (no more than 3 pages), with cover letter (no more than 2 pages), copies of academic transcripts, a sample of a publication, product or training materials you were responsible for developing that has direct relevance to the role being advertised, and up-to-date contact details of at least three professional referees torecruitment@saha.org.za. 

NOTE: The subject line of your email must include the following:  SFJP Coordinator 2016/02 – [Your Name].

Your cover letter should include a short indication of your motivation for applying for this position.

Closing date: Applications must be submitted no later than 6pm, Monday 29 February 2016
Interview date: Tuesday 8 March 2016
Starting date: As soon as possible.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

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